Howard Goldblatt, known for his translations of such notable writers as Mo Yan and Su Tong, has a new translation of Chen Yixin’s novel Yuwa, which traces a year in the life of a young boy in a Gansu Province village much like that from Chen’s own upbringing. Chen’s prose is full of color and with Goldblatt’s translation the story comes across as a heartfelt tale of a young boy who survives treacherous conditions typical of the cold and dusty northwest.
Yuwa is the only child of a mother who raised chickens and a father who at first does not work much and instead drinks a lot when he isn’t sleeping off his hangover. But his parents get along well and want the best for their son. When the story begins the winter frost is thawing and the farmers in Yuwa’s village get back to their work on the land. Although written in third person, Yuwa’s voice shines through from the very beginning of the book.
The land was at its best in the spring, moist and wonderfully yielding, when the tips of crops and grass emerged to be caressed by breezes, like fine hairs in the ground. Insects came to life—red maidens, black widows, white boys, old ladies. He did not know their real names, no one had ever told him, but he knew them all, and that’s what counted. He called them what he felt like.
Yuwa is not old enough to start school, so enjoys spending his days with Granduncle, a sheep farmer, and feels honored when he’s invited to help out in the fields. The countryside may be dusty and dreary, but Yuwa finds that it also glistens in the spring.
The tamarisk flowers created a vista of pink clouds kept afloat by the wind. The vision captivated Yuwa, who stood there staring. In the midst of a bleak, overgrown, cold and forsaken landscape of withered yellow, the pink tamarisk flowers were like an illusion that brought life to the boy’s dark eyes. The scene was etched in his memory. In all the years to come, the pink clouds would often present a flickering image.
Besides Granduncle, Yuwa also plays with a boy named Guawu, several years older in age but a few years younger in maturity. Rumor has it that Guawu becomes developmentally delayed after suffering a high fever at a young age. Yuwa is small for his age, so as two outcasts the boys develop a close friendship.
Life in the village is not easy and Yuwa’s father eventually moves to the city to start earning a living in hopes of providing Yuwa with a future that includes higher education in the city. Villagers suffer through harsh winter conditions as well as debilitating dust storms. Granduncle tells Yuwa that this is just part of life. When he entertains Yuwa with tales of their ancestors and how they grappled with their fate, he advises Yuwa to take this all in stride.
“Don’t worry about it, Yuwa, we’re put here on earth to suffer, whether we’re rich or poor, male or female. Life is as hard for bachelors as it is for parents of children. Suffering is what makes life interesting, it’s why people want to live.”
This proclamation doesn’t help much when Yuwa goes on to suffer a number of personal losses. He tries to find solace at school and enjoys learning, but the lessons he will remember most seem to come from his day-to-day life in the village.